Program X
by AbyssNight98
Summary: Program X, subsidiary of Root and secret organisation. In a horrible event, Naruto's life is thrown into this project and taught to be more than just a ninja; more than just a Jinchuriki. This is his story as the hyperactive ninja with quite the mouth. Genderbent character, Good!Kyuubi
1. The Project

**Alright, here is the redone, new version of Project X! Now, I have had the problem of year measurement. So, after much thinking, this is how it'll be: since the myth of chakra is mostly of Rikudo Sennin, we will be measuring the time by that. Kyuubi attacked c. October 13, 2127 A.C. (After Chakra - which is when Hagaromo and Hamura defeat the Juubi) Program X was made two years before, and Naruto was born three days before.**

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 **Program X  
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Chapter One - The Project

He lived in the orphanage since he could remember. As an orphan with no knowledge of his parents, only told they never wanted him. The Hokage explained to him that his parents were loyal ninjas to the village at one time - but they died. He was confused whenever he asked for the names of his parents - like any orphan that didn't know their parents - but he was denied knowing anything about it. The only thing that was told to him was what they once were and what they did. He was too young to understand at that time there was something more.

Naruto grew up in the orphanage but was taught differently than everyone else. He was disciplined more. For example, instead of spankings - he was whipped. The leather of the whip was frayed at the end which left deep marks on his back. It would bleed for a long time. He would be fixed up by the nurse, who was the only nice staff member that worked there. His scars stuck with him; to remind him of the abuse.

It was when he entered the Academy that he left the orphanage and got his own house. Of course, he wouldn't have left if it wasn't for Hiruzen's help. The old man paid for the house each month and gave him an allowance for groceries. But even more problems arose. Stores wouldn't sell to him and the Civilian Council denied any form of complaint he tried to file.

This didn't mean his life was hard. People took it personal when the _Demon_ entered the Academy for Ninjas. It started as simple glares and whispers, but on his birthday - the celebration of the death of Kyuubi - he was attacked by a group of older men. They were between the ages of twenty to thirty years old. The men were shinobi, you could tell by the way they fought which showed their training. They also disguised themselves as civilians and that is one of the shinobi ways, too.

He was saved by a passing patrol of Konoha's Police Force, the Uchiha. They are the only clan with the Hyuuga that made any attempt for Naruto's life to be better. It was Mikoto Uchiha, the Clan Head's wife, that filed for adoptions multiple times even when it was turned down by the Civilian Council. This only made it a clan effort to do everything in their power to protect Naruto.

When it is brought up at the Konoha Council that stores were denying Naruto their sales, Fugaku Uchiha, the Clan Head and operator of the police, made a huge raid on the stores. It was a bold risk, if anyone looked back at it, since he was bending many laws that were in place. Luckily, it was found that his reasons were sound, but only because he found an old law back during the time of the founding of the village.

He explained that it is illegal to deny sales, or unfairly charge anyone because of their background or past circumstances. When he added that everyone denied him because of his demon alone, it was hard for the Civilian Council to excuse their actions. But even with now being allowed to shop in the stores, Naruto wouldn't buy from them and instead went to Ichiraku all the time.

Now, I remember I was turning eight. I live in a three-bedroom and two-bathroom house that was my birthday present that year before. It was paid off by the Uchiha since I don't have close to enough money to pay for the taxes. I made few friends, mostly with Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuuga, but I was fine with that.

 _But this story wouldn't be told if everything was so hunky-dory. My life changed on the night of my eighth birthday. I should thank those assholes, though. Maybe next time._

 **(O** **.** **O) Naruto's House - 19:30 (O** **.** **O)**

A young blonde, one Naruto Uzumaki, sat on a black sofa in the living room while watching the television. Currently, he was watching a stand-up comedian at the Daimyo's son's anniversary party. Everyone was laughing at the man's jokes, and the Daimyo was even in tears because he was laughing so hard.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Naruto paused the television, turning to look at his door in confusion. He looked through the window's blinds and caught a glimpse of Sasuke and Neji. He grinned and hopped off the couch, running to the door as soon as his feet hit the floor. He swung the door open and grinned at the two brunettes. "You guys made it!"

The two males grinned, not like their normal selves Naruto noticed. "Are you okay?"

"Fantastic," the two replied as Neji moved from the door to allow other strangers in and this is when Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his neck.

"Ack!" Naruto choked as he gripped the hand that held his neck. "Who are you?"

The two chuckled before they dispelled their jutsu. Sasuke grew a foot taller, his body bulked twice his normal size, and his hair brightened to a sandy brown. His left eye was brown and his right eye was green. Neji also grew an inch shorter than her companion, and her hair was a bright pink. Neji's green eyes twinkled as she grinned at Naruto maliciously.

"We finally got into the _Demon's_ lair." She spoke before attending to the men who trashed the house. They knocked down pictures, smashed the TV, spray-painted the walls with vulgar words, and ripped and destroyed all of the furniture.

"Bring him over, honey." The pinkette spoke from the kitchen, and the man holding Naruto immediately followed the order.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw a makeshift fire in the ground under his floorboards, made from his chairs, tables and pictures. He saw the large pot, big enough for a grown man to fit in, with boiling oil filled to the top. " _They wouldn't,"_ Naruto's mind screamed!

"Bring him here." Pinkette barked, while grabbing a ladle and dipping it in the bubbling oil..

Naruto struggled as he was put on his feet and forced to face the pink-haired woman. She pulled out the ladle and grabbed Naruto's arm, digging her pink-polished nails into his skin. She brought the ladle over a part of his arm and grinned with such venom before pouring the burning oil on his arm.

"Aaahhh!" Naruto screamed as he thrashed around, kicking his leg into the shin of the torturing woman.

She scowled at his useless attempts before grabbing his hair, pulling it to the side, and scooping up more of the liquid. She brought it over his face before dropping it. She poured four more ladlefuls before feeling satisfied with the bruised and red state she left his face in. His eyes were forced close and he lost all feeling to it, which was evident when he didn't even register when the woman slapped his face.

"Toss him in." He heard her say before being pushed forward.

 **(O** **.** **O) Council Room - 20:01 (O** **.** **O)**

Hiruzen sighed as he mindlessly listened to his old teammate, Koharu Utatane, talk about complaints from civilians living next to Naruto. There were many, no doubt about it, but that didn't make them any more ridiculous. It went from him mowing his lawn to having his windows open on a hot day.

Most of the Ninja Council were annoyed at this repetitive topic. The most visibly annoyed were Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Uchiha. The two were next to each other, their arms crossed over their chest and scowls on their face.

"You'd think this would get old after a while." Fugaku spoke, his dark eyes eyes narrowing as he felt a chill dance up and down his spine. "Wait, do we have anyone watching Naruto?"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "I would think so. Hiruzen says that he have one of his personal Anbu watching."

"And you trust these Anbu?" Fugaku questioned, knowing that those that held a grudge against Naruto were usually the older and more experienced.

"It said it was Kakashi." Hiashi assured, though as he thought about it Kakashi never knew the true death and heir of Minato and Kushina. All he knew was that Naruto had the Biju, and that the man that he held closest to a father died in the attack by that very Biju.

"Exactly," Fugaku replied when he saw Hiashi's features change. He pushed him out of his chair was was about to leave when the door burst open by a young Chunin.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hiruzen demanded as he looked at the Chunin. "We are in the middle of a meeting!"

"We got a disturbance call from Naruto's neighbors." The young man replied, shrinking at the old Hokage's gaze. "They say they hear hysteric screaming."

Hiashi abruptly stood up and settled his look on the Chunin as Fugaku pushed his way through the lane. "And when were they sent in first?"

"Er," The young boy scratched his head in guilt and embarrassment. "The first disturbance call came in about twenty minutes ago but we chalked it up to a ridiculous reason. It was five minutes ago that we got multiple calls coming in with the same thing."

"What about that Anbu, Hiruzen?" Fugaku shouted as he slammed the door open and stormed down the halls.

Danzo stood up, hobbling through the lanes with a blank face. "Wolverine, you and your team head to the Uzumaki's building. Now."

A shadow from behind Hiruzen shifted slightly as a part of it moved out the window, followed by two more, and Tsume stood up to follow Danzo. The room was left in puzzlement, some of the civilians sweating with the knowledge of what was going on. And their involvement in some shape or another, like paying off that Anbu.

 **(O** **.** **O) Naruto's House - 20:05 (O** **.** **O)**

Naruto laid, disfigured as boils were left on his once-unblemished skin and he shivered in pain as it hurt to just lay on the floor. Over him stood the large man and pinkette woman. They were smirking, the mob of assailants gone once they made the house look like a break-in and robbery. The pot of oil was nearly gone, about two gallons left at the bottom, and the ladle in the woman's hand.

"Why?" Naruto sobbed, his salty tears stinging his scarred face as he looked up at the two with bloodshot eyes. His once luminescent blue eyes were a dull grey, and the red around his eyes made him look even more scary - even demonic if the word wasn't reserved for those in Hell.

"You want to know why?" The pinkette sneered as she crouched down, grabbing Naruto's face harshly while he whined at the grip. "You attacked this village eight years ago unprovoked, Demon! Many died protecting this village. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters! Even my son! You killed him!"

Naruto was left speechless as he looked into the woman's tearful eyes. Her green eyes looked sorrowful and the man behind her looked down in sadness. His hands clenched in slight anger but he didn't do anything.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Naruto whispered, but yelped when the grip tightened on his face.

"You want to know the hardest thing for a mother to have happen other than their child dying?" She questioned, her eyes glaring in anger as her tears stained her face with her make-up. "Not being able to have a body to say goodbye to and bury him with the honor he deserves! You incinerated his body with your foul chakra! But not now!"

She yelled, grabbing the kunai she had hidden under his dress. "This time, I will avenge him and all of those that died at your hands! They will all be able to move on in peace at your death!"

Naruto closed his eyes, ignoring the movement of the woman raising her arm, and waited for the kunai to kill him. _I'm sorry._

When nothing happened, he opened his eyes to see the woman's eyes wide. Three bones were sticking out of her chest, and the man behind her was beheaded, his head ripped from the rest of his body by someone behind.

"Is he alive?" Naruto heard, his mind fogging as he was released by the woman and collided with the wooden floorboards. He weakly looked at the face that lowered to the floor. The skin was pale, their eyes black.

"He's awake, but barely. Let's get him out of here." The man spoke, his voice startling Naruto's eyes open, but only for a second.

" _Itachi,"_ Naruto whispered the name, falling into a world of bliss.

The man sat up straight, his black wings shifting slight at the name. Was his ears deceiving him? Did Naruto just speak his name? "I must have heard it wrong."

"You didn't." The man with bones out between his knuckles, his grey and black outfit daunting in the night with red eyes. "He recognised your voice."

Itachi narrowed his eyes but stood up, taking the young boy into his arms carefully. He turned around and walked out the building. "I'll meet you at the base."

A third man appeared just as Itachi flew off into the sky with his wings. He wore a black suit with grey lines, a red belt buckle with a black X on his waist. Orange glass on his head, only his nose and mouth showing out of the black suit.

"Is Naruto alright, Shisui?" The man asked, turning to his companion next to him.

"Just barely." The man, now named as Shisui, replied. His bones retracted into his hand before walking off. "Let's get back to the base."

 **(O** **.** **O) Hidden ROOT Base - 21:54 (O** **.** **O)**

Hiruzen looked through the glass as doctors and surgeons worked on Naruto's scarred skin. Danzo was next to him, his eye closed while silently thinking to himself. The two hadn't talked to each other since Naruto was brought in by Itachi. While Hiruzen was worried over Naruto, Danzo was quiet and otherwise calm of the situation.

"I want him to be in the Program." Danzo finally spoke, opening his eye to look at Naruto.

"No," Hiruzen cut in as soon as the words left Danzo's mouth. "He needs time to...heal."

"And who will protect him during these healing periods, Sarutobi?" Danzo pushed, turning to face the man. "We know this won't be the end. Naruto needs more than that stunted Academy teaching. Let me take him. I'll have him watched twenty-four seven."

"I said no!" Hiruzen yelled, his voice rising to a high, deep level as he looked at Danzo. "He will not become one of your little puppets! You're lucky that I'm not putting you in jail for still having ROOT!"

Danzo's features softened before reaching into his shirt and pulled out a portfolio. He handed it to Hiruzen, who looked at him puzzled, but took the folder and opened it. Inside is, in bold words, something called "Program X." As he read it, he was becoming more and more shocked.

" _Project X, created in June 5, 2125, was born from the ROOT program. It was a side project created by lead scientist_ _**Akane Inoue**_ _to enhance and make new abilities for future ninja generations. On October 13, 2127, the attack from the Kyuubi greatly diminished the ability to produce a working pill beyond the abilities of the Soldier Pill. But with the assurance and leadership of Akane Inoue, the research kept progressing. The ingredients for the pill were not working, and with the approval of Danzo Shimura, Akane Inoue was tasked with finding a new way to make it._

 _She traveled to the Unknown Countries across the ocean far past the Kiri islands. There, she consulted with many of the local tribes that accepted her and only two had powers far different than chakra. They mixed and strained native herbs and roots and gave it to the boys that would come of age in a great ceremony. When the two tribes came together for the ceremony,_ _ **Ra's Al Ghul**_ _, leader and strongest warrior of the combined tribes, gave her own cup of the liquid since they saw her as a trustworthy woman, and to say she was surprised the next few hours is an understatement._

 _The next day, she was able to control the shadows around her and fly - though more like stumble through the air. She spent three days with many of the tribals' best teachers, practicing her skills the best she could. She returned with a young man named Kano, who Ra's Al Ghul taught, and plenty of herbs and roots for the medicine. Since January 1, 2130, there have only been five people "transformed": Akane Inoue, Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Hizashi Hyuuga, and Tsume Inuzuka."_

Hiruzen looked the paper over a few times before shakily grabbing for a chair behind him and slowly sat in it. "You mean to tell me you went behind my back, without my permission, and contacted an advanced tribe beyond any charted land, and made your own soldiers with powers far beyond chakra?"

Danzo nodded, sitting down next to the old Hokage. "A side effect is that all ability to use chakra is suddenly stripped away and replaced with their new abilities."

The two were quiet, Danzo watching Hiruzen closely though the Hokage had his eyes in the palm of his hand. Slowly, he looked from his palm to Danzo, his stare cold and sharp. "What will you do with this discovery?"

"With your permission, I will start with a small group of young children and train them to be different - stronger - than any ninja would be their age. If they look promising, I will create a taskforce of them and have them do missions that are too sensitive for public eyes." Danzo stopped, looking at his lap before continuing. "Naruto Uzumaki has always been my first choice, along with Sasuke Uchiha since the two get along very well. Hizashi has already given me permission to do the same with his daughter, Neji, for the past few months now."

"Is there a hidden agenda behind you doing this?" Hiruzen declared, his tone still suspicious.

"Other than protect the village and world I love, not really, no." Danzo spoke before standing up and walked to the window. When he looked in, he saw the doctors finishing their work. "Come on, let's go see the doctor's report."

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 **I hope this comes out as good as the original if not better. Anyways, comment your thoughts on how it is and what can be done with it. R &R!**


	2. Permanent Damage

**Here's the next chapter! Yay! I've been a little busy school. Anyway, all I can say is hope you like this chapter.**

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 **Program X**

Chapter Two - Permanent Damage

Naruto was not one for vengeance, everyone knew that; instead he would handle his problems logically, which was more damaging to a certain kind of people than most would think when you hit them politically. It was like busting their balls and spitting on their proned, twitching form. But even then he wasn't fond of destroying the life of another. Now, not so much.

He sat on the hospital bed, IV cables in his arms that supported his life. He was covered from head to toe in medical bandage. Even his eyes and mouth were covered to preserve his body from outside bacteria. In the two hours he was awake he was told that the damage was so bad that he had to be kept in a clean room with bandages over his skin. The surgery to save what skin he had was "successful," or as much as it could be. But he will never be the same, the doctor said.

Now you understand when I say he _used_ to not be for vengeance means that going through his head are the ones who made him suffer and ruined his life forever. He gripped the sheets and gave a grin, though how painful it was to do so, when he remembered the look on the pinkette's face when she was stabbed through her chest. It was the pain that he saw flash through her eyes that made him feel better, to know that she - no matter how quick it was - felt the same pain that he went through.

A knock startled him, and he turned his face to the direction the sound came from. The door opened, the sound of heels scuffing the ground as they made their way to him until he felt a hand gently grasp his hand, rubbing circles with their thumb. He heard a stifled sob and the hand tightened a little bit, sending him for a whirl of who this was and tingling pain.

"Naruto," A voice Naruto immediately recognised as Neji reached his ears through the bandages. A hand snaked their way over the other side of his and he felt her trembling as she cried. "I'll make those bastards pay. Every one of them."

 _It's okay, Neji_ , he wanted to say. He would be mad that his bandages stopped him from talking - from soothing his upset friend - and instead gripped their hand. As he thought the words, a sudden feeling scratched at the back of his head; it was like a primal instinct, buried in his mind for thousands of years. Suddenly, anger and vengeance filled his heart as he thought of those that assisted in his torture.

He gripped his hand, shocking Neji and causing her to jump in surprise. _I'll do it myself!_

All of that sudden anger washed away when Neji took him in a hug, locking her arms around his torso and pulled her body to his, crying on his shoulder. She must have felt the sudden anger, it was hard not to, and is now trying to make him feel better.

He smiled and hugged his friend, spooked when the door once again opened.

"Neji," Hizashi's voice reached Naruto's ears from the door, and Neji let go of him. "Go brief with Danzo."

Naruto felt Neji hesitantly get up from his bed and leave the room, only Hizashi in there with him. Naruto heard a chair scrape on the ground as it was dragged next to his bed. He wanted to tear these bandages off just to see his surroundings. He hated losing the sense of sight. It made him feel...different. Crippled, in a way.

"Hey, hey," Hizashi grasped Naruto's hands that gripped the edges of the bandages around his head. "Keep those on, the doctor will be here in a second. Wait until she's here."

Naruto slowly nodded, losing strength in his fingers as they were pulled to his lap by one of his saviors. This time when the door opened he didn't jump, instead looked at where it came from.

"Morning Naruto, I hope these bandages didn't bug you too much." The female doctor stated lively. He simply nodded his head and reached to scratch at it. "Don't worry, we'll get it off right now. Just let me snip this piece off."

Naruto heard the ripping of the bandage from what he guessed were scissors and immediately went to unravel the loose gauze.

"No," The doctor smacked his hand away, "I will take it off."

Naruto nodded, resting his hands on his lap as the doctor slowly started unraveling the bandage. Soon, streaks of light started entering his vision - blinding him from being exposed to the light after so long. As his mouth is being uncovered, his eyes finally adjusting to the light and could finally make out the doctor's face. Her skin was pale, not as much as an Uchiha but almost, and her black hair was in a ponytail. Her scrubs and lab coat were what he expected to see her wearing knowing she was a doctor.

"There we go." She sighed out as she took off the rest of the bandages from around his head. Naruto saw Hizashi cringe out the corner of his vision before getting up and leaving.

Naruto was silent, the motor and gears coming to life as he immediately knew what was wrong. He ripped a part of the bandage around his hand and unraveled it before the doctor could stop him. His eyes widened as he looked at his shriveled hand, shaking from his shock and anger.

"Calm down, Naruto." The doctor eased, gently placing her hand over hers. "We saved as much of your tissue that we could, but the damage was too much that most had to be cut off to prevent infection."

"I want a mirror." Naruto quipped as he stared at the pale red muscle of his hand compared to the doctor's.

She nodded, and took out a handheld mirror from her coat pocket. It was a simply fake-crystal mirror, though it sparkled like it was real.

 _Does she keep that everywhere with her_ , Naruto thought but took the mirror nonetheless. He pulled it up to his face and nearly dropped it in shock at what he saw. His face is a hideous red with white blotches of tender muscle. Surprisingly, his whiskers were still on his face, though very faint, under reddened, pale blue eyes. They no longer looked blue but a steel grey with a flash of orange expanding from his pupil every so often.

"I look like death," Naruto muttered as he set the mirror down. He was surprisingly taking it well. If someone was a victim to being put through all of that and then lose most of their tissue, they would surely be horrified, infuriated, and or crying.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, and I think we have a way of making your day a little better." The doctor gently pulled Naruto to his feet.

Naruto was guided to the out of the room and led down the halls with many hospital rooms. Few were occupied and those that were inside bothered Naruto with the foreign and highly advanced medical machines that were inside. The Konoha Hospital he frequented to had nothing like these beeping monitors that showed more than just a heartbeat pulse. _What is this place?_

As they walked further down the hall they stopped in front of an elevator before taking it down. There weren't windows for Naruto to see where in Konoha they were. By how far they were going down he suspected they were one of the largest buildings in the village, narrowing it from somewhere on the Hokage Monument or the Hokage's mansion. He highly doubted the latter but he never been to the buildings on the mountain.

"Where are we?" Naruto looked at the woman and watched as she glanced down at him before the doors opened.

"I'll let Mr. Sarutobi and Shimura answer that." The woman answered and entered the busy entrance hall. Ninja and doctors unlike those Naruto saw in the village walked and talked to each other, the only one staying still is the man behind the registration desk. He watched as the doctor walked up to the man and said a few things before he nodded and motioned down a hall.

Naruto was then led through that hall, which was much less noisy than the entrance, and was brought to a bunch of offices. Each were like those in the Accounting Wing in the Hokage Mansion. They were neatly-managed and were clean, with the exception of one room which was littered with papers and boot prints leading to the desk. A man slept there, a hat over his face keeping Naruto from seeing who it was.

He was stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall and looked in anticipation as his doctor knocked a few times before entering. Inside he spotted Hiruzen with a one-eyed man and five others.

One is a man with an outfit straight from imagination. He wore a red, long-sleeve shirt and black pants with black armor over his torso and shins. He had a white mask over his face and one eye had a purple glass over it. The next was a tall man Naruto remembered from the attack. He wore a black-grey outfit and red eyes. In a corner next to the second man, Naruto noticed Itachi with metallic wings folded over his back. His black hair was let down out of the ponytail with red eyes from the mask. The last man was tall with a similar black-grey outfit but an orange X crossed over the top half of his head and a black-over-red X belt buckle. Lastly, the only woman in the room was Naruto recognised as Tsume as she wore a similar outfit to everyone else

"Ah, Naruto, you're here." Danzo announced, looking to the boy. "I'm sorry we didn't get to save all of you."

Naruto just smiled half-heartedly at the old man, thoroughly shocking all of the inhabitants in the room with this action. "It's okay, sir. I understand that the doctors tried their best."

Danzo looked back with a stoic face but his eyebrow twitched and raised slightly in reaction. He turned to Hiruzen, his looks telling the Hokage that he will be the one to say something first.

"Naruto...you know how you wanted to be a ninja, right?" Hiruzen started slowly, his words holding an uncertainty that bugged the blonde - before he grinned at the mention of his dream. "Well, I have something...better, I think."

"What he means is," Tsume interjected as the old Hokage started trailing off to a halt. "We want to enroll you into Program X, a new project for making future elite ninja."

Naruto's eyes lit up at the words _future elite ninja_. "Really? That's great! When does it start?"

"Naruto." Hiruzen calmed him down with a low tone. "Remember what I told you? A shinobi never…"

"Never does something without learning all there is to know." Naruto rolled his eyes as he repeated what he was told so many times in the past - mostly because of his impatient and willingness to do something without fully understanding. "What...is this program training?"

"We will have you, and others, trained by the best teachers in the country." Danzo answered, moving a file folder to Hiruzen who started looking in it. "You training will be of martial arts, conditioning of abilities like strength, speed, endurance, reflexes, and agility. Everything else after that will be determined in the Second Stage."

"What is the Second Stage?"

"That is classified for now, until I talk more with Hiruzen. If you still want to join," Danzo pulled out a piece of paper and pen and presented them to Naruto. "just sign at the bottom line next to the dot."

Naruto did just that and Danzo smiled. "Welcome to Program X, Naruto Uzumaki."

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 **Hope you liked it! R &R!**


	3. First Generation

**Um...chapter three. Yay...what to say? I've taken a little long because it was a lot of thinking on everyone in the Program and what superhero they'll embody. Well, a chapter will be uploaded every month, around the 15th. So far, we have 11 individuals and their powers already thought out. This will have more heroes from Marvel but their will be some from DC, which you will learn soon enough.**

 **And I hope this isn't going agonizingly slow to start. I'm eager to start writing with the main villains but then again I don't want to rush. Well, I hope you review and tell what you think of the story, and any suggestions are welcomed. I'd like to think of what you all think too.**

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 **Project X Redux**

Chapter Three - First (Official) Generation

And so, Hiruzen allowed Danzo his Program X to be legalized. He was still skeptical of the idea of creating something that he, the Hokage and sole person responsible for the people of his village, didn't have all the details. He understood its history, though a lot of it were blacked out, and the way it was able to happen, though a lot of that, too, was blacked out. He was left in the dark and not allowed to know all that will be going on in the inside, something that irked him greatly.

The next day, the two of Naruto's attackers were of the Haruno family - the most influential civilian family. Mebuki and Kizashi were the matriarch and patriarch of their family, with a young daughter Sakura. It raised an investigation into the rest of the family before it was determined that no one else knew of their intentions. The patriarch position was then left to Rikuto, Kizashi's brother, who also took custody of his niece.

But that was what brought him to his point. Hiruzen sat in his chair in the meeting hall of the Hokage Mansion, which served as his home and order of business. The most prestigious clans, such as the Hyuuga and Uchiha, and civilian families, such as the Haruno and Shizuka, were present in the council room. The two elders and Danzo sat in a few chairs closest to the window so the Spring breeze kept them from passing out in the heat - and to keep a distance from Hiruzen's tobacco smoke.

"Thank you for coming today and on such short notice." Hiruzen started, snuffing out his pipe and setting it on his desk. "I just have something that needs at least an hour of your time. An idea has been presented to me from Danzo and I want to have it legalized by the Council."

"What may it be, Hokage?" Asked Takara Shizuka. She was a thin woman with light brown, dark blonde hair and green eyes. She was of the Shizuka family, the largest in Konoha with sixty members. Many of them held a high rank as Jonin or Tokubetsu Jonin. The family is unique to the rest as it holds a matriarchy and their females often look down on men for their stereotypical sexist views.

"It's called Program X and it's to be a separate training school for those 7-9 years of age. They will be taken care of by the staff but they will not be able to see their families for five years, the estimated time of training. All details and information beyond that will be given to those granted access. Even I'm restricted."

Hiruzen gained surprise stares and raised eyebrows when he mentioned the restrictedness. It was a shock that even the leader of the village will be restricted from something so much as training ninja as young as seven.

"Who will be overseeing this Program X?" Shikaku questioned this time.

"I will." Danzo answered, his one eye squinting in the semi-dark room. "This is my Program, my staff, my training. If there is anything important to tell the Hokage I will make sure to do so but I must have the privacy and peace of no one being nosy and disruptive."

"And I bet your training is much like your Root, isn't it?" Inoichi asked, his voice sharp as he regarded the old man with distaste. His clan was one of the two that was impacted by the secret organisation the most. The Kurama clan is the other. Poor clan was now in disarray with inter-feuding that the Hokage can't stop.

"I assure you, Inoichi, this is nothing like the original Root. This now follows a set of rules that I _must_ obey or else it and I are free game." Danzo stressed his words as emphasis on how serious it was.

"Yes, well," Hiruzen started before addressing the council. "This is independant and of sensitive information. I want nothing of this escaping or all of you are sent to the T&I Division for punishment."

"And all of your children won't be chosen." Danzo filled in, deciding to go into part of the specifics. "Most are orphans that I'll be choosing from the local orphanage but clan and civilian clans and families must understand what it means if you elect you child for this Program. Your elected family member will no longer be loyal to their family but the overall safety of the public. That means an heir will no longer be that unless organised as a special case. They will hold their surname but will not report to any commanding officer but me, or the Hokage at times."

"What are the special cases, Danzo-san?" Chouza asked the older man.

"The clan heir will be able succeed their parent for Head only if they have shown great loyalty or action for the Program. They will, however, most likely have all of the information sealed away so that it may not get taken by outsiders." Danzo paused for effect and to let his words sink in. "In the cases of Sasuke or Itachi Uchiha, or Hinata Hyuuga they may not have their memories sealed. All is dependant on many variables and can't be certain until the time comes."

"Who have you already chosen?" Shikaku asked again.

"Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki have already been incorporated into the Program." Danzo informed before gasps were elicited from the civilian Heads, however there was nothing from the three most influential Heads.

A young woman with black hair, reaching to her lower back, and steel grey eyes. She wore a loose-fitted purple shirt over a mesh undershirt and black pants. She gave a calculative look, but her eyes casted a distinct glare at the elder. She is Takara Shizuka, Matriarch of the largest civilian family in Konoha. The Shizuka Family, when put together, would seem more like a shinobi clan at first glance however they are still registered as a family. Their members ranged over sixty with about half of them occupying the Jonin ranks. However, the family follows a strict matriarchy and the females are more of the man in the family and look down on men.

The second was an older man in his early thirties with a rough, brown beard, a bald head, and black eyes. His hands were calloused from hard work, and his arms were as big as a grown man's skull. He wore a longsleeve, black shirt and blue pants with steel-toed boots. This man is Takeshi Fujimoto of the Fujimoto _Family_. This family is actually the largest community of the best professional blacksmiths from around the Elemental Nations. Not related by birth, they are from many different ancestors that had different techniques. The ancestors came together one day and formed under the last name of the first Master Blacksmith, which later became the family Head position. Only the boy or girl to learn all of the techniques were eligible for such a position.

Lastly was Rikuto Haruno. The man was young, with dark brown hair like his brother, and hazel eyes. He was quiet, still taking in the responsibilities of being the new family head.

"A-Are you sure of letting...that _boy_ into this Program?" An old civilian man stuttered, trying to hide his attitude to Naruto from the Hokage.

"What do you have against the young boy, hm?" Danzo asked, turning his attention to the man. "The boy protects you every day of your lesser existence since he took his first breath. Yet all of you civilians have a grudge against him because of your own hateful prejudices. If I was Hokage-"

"Danzo." Hiruzen interrupted the man, pleading him to stop while he was ahead.

Danzo took a deep breath and exhaled before nodding. "Anyway, so far Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuuga have been inducted. The orphanage will cease to exist because I will take the orphans to train and become something for the future. Anyone else may volunteer whatever family member they want."

It was quiet as most took this time to think things over. It was Inoichi who spoke first, shaking his head. "After what you have done in the past I can't fully trust you with my clan, even if the Hokage does. But...I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say yes to your project."

As Hiruzen looked into the council, he saw that most were against volunteering their family but were all for the project. But a few elected children to the Program. Takara Shizuka gave her son Ryuka, Takeshi Fujimoto gave his niece Moriko, and Rikuto gave Sakura. Chouza Akimichi gave his son Choji.

"That spells the end of this meeting. Anbu will go to individual homes and help the new participants into their new home in half an hour." Hiruzen stated, ending the meeting and stood up to get the Anbu ready but gave one last look to Danzo. "I hope you don't mess up, Danzo. For all of our sake."

Danzo listened to his warning, the last one he will get before he was accountable for everything he'll do, and silently nodded. He led the way down the hall with Fugaku, Hiashi and Tsume following him. "We'll get the faculty prepared. Fugaku, I want you to go get your youngest son and bring him to the base. You too, Hiashi. Get your daughter."

"Understood," The two men replied before splitting from the group and going to their clan compounds.

Danzo glanced at Tsume as he noticed she was more silent and saw her upset, downtrodden. He sighed and looked to her with a smile that very few have ever saw beyond his normal, serious expression. "Tsume, you understand that I'm not disappointed with you not wanting your son in the Program, right?"

The woman looked to him briefly before nodding. "I know. I just feel like I'm not doing a part with giving my son or daughter to it."

Danzo shook his head as both of them walked into the Forest of Death. "Never feel that way, Tsume. You gave more for the Program with participating yourself. You care for your children, it's an instinct to not want to expose them to something right yet."

Tsume nodded as she came upon the headquarters and thanked the man as he held the elevator door open for her. Taking it down a few levels, the doors opened again to reveal the next room. They were in a large off-white room, a large circle-enclosed X imprinted on the ground. Behind a desk, two Uchiha guards sat in chairs, one watching a camera and the other giving a nod to them. Ninja and scientists were gathered in the large room, awaiting his arrival.

Danzo looked at them and nodded before everyone cheered. He took a mic connected to all of the speakers throughout the base on all floors. "Ladies and gentlemen," He started, his voice level and clear. "As of today, we have gotten the Hokage and Council to allow us free rein in the village. I know that this doesn't seem much, with all of the Daimyo around the Elemental Nations funding us, but now we have more volunteers for Program X. I want all of the rooms on the Fifth floor ready for them. I want the exam rooms on the seventh and sixth floor ready for all of our participants' examinations and the Drug A labs on the eighth floor ready for them. Thank you for your work in Root, and keep up the excellent work."

Danzo gave back the mic to the security guard and tore off the bandages around his eye, exposing a blue light, and from around his arm. It revealed a mechanical, metal implant to replace the one he lost to a disease long ago. He turned to Akane, who looked at him with a smile from under her purple hood.

"We're in business." She said with a grin.

 **(O** **.** **O) Meanwhile - Room 503 (O** **.** **O)**

Naruto smiled when he saw Neji grin after listening to Danzo's announcement. "Y'hear that, Naruto? The Council approved!"

"I heard." Naruto replied softly, though his voice wasn't.

Neji frowned slightly but then brought her smile back as fast as it went. She won't be sad in front of him. Not when he still smiled after everything he went through. She instead cuddled into his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. Despite his skin nearly being nonexistent, he was still as smooth and soft as when with it.

Naruto circled his arms around her and laid his cheek on her, finding comfort in his friend's embrace. They were like that when the door suddenly opened to reveal Itachi opening the door. He looked at them before smiling, knocking on the door to gain their attention. "Come on, you two, time to get an exam, too."

Naruto nodded and let go of Neji so they can get off of his bunk and go to the Exam rooms. _Why would I have to have an exam when I already had one upon agreeing yesterday? I guess I'll find out when I get there._

"Mr. Uzumaki," A doctor smiled when he saw Naruto walk in. "Please take off your clothes and sand against that wall. We'll measure your height then an object made just for you."

 **(O** **.** **O) Danzo's Office - Room 102 (O** **.** **O)**

Danzo pulled up a box to the long table before shoving it to the other end where a white-haired man sat. The man looked fifty years old, at best, with paint around his eyes - effectively hiding his crow's feet - over fair skin. This man is Jiraiya of the Sannin, head of the KSN - Konoha Spy Network -, current summoner of the Toad Contract and author of the illustrious Icha Icha adult novels. The bane of every bathing woman, and punching bag of said women whenever caught.

"Are these everyone?" He asked, peeking into the box of papers with all participants' names.

"No, those are just A through C. I have five more over here." Danzo replied, motioning to the others behind him.

"I just want to see those that are the most promising. Like Naruto, Neji, and Sasuke. I don't need your daughter's." Jiraiya spoke, pushing his box away. He was answered with two boxes, one labelled 'M-O' and another 'P-T'. He opened it and skimmed his finger along, pulling out each of his desired folders before opening them.

Starting with Naruto, he looked over the first health exam that was administered on him few days ago and was not happy with the results. He was in such bad shape that it was a surprise that he was even looking. Strong will and spirit is the only way that he didn't crack and end the suffering himself. And having Neji and Sasuke to keep his hopes and personality as bright as the bright yellow hair he once had. It did beg the question as to what his psyche looked like.

Sighing, Jiraiya opened Neji's profile. He was surprised with how much the Program had affected her in just five months. In this time, the X-05 serum granted her magical abilities. She has control over the elements, early telepathy, telekinesis, and even force fields. She cared greatly for Naruto, the only person other than her own father that she cared the most about. She was unlike most children where instead of playing she would train and read, or go to Naruto's house and keep him company.

Looking at Sasuke, he was different. At first being jealous of Naruto because of him being closer to Itachi, this unlikely friendship developed to a mutual rivalry. Bother seemed to get the other riled up enough that they would work and learn beyond that of their own grade group as to outdo the other. Despite this, they were friends with the unlikeliest common ground. He was the independent, grounding member that anchored the group of him, Naruto and Neji. Neji was the caring, assertive, intellectual member while Naruto was the bright, bundle of joy that looked like he had ten times too much sugar.

Scratching his cheek, Jiraiya closed the folders before setting them on their correct boxes and turned to Danzo. They stared at each other for a while before Jiraiya grinned. "Quite the army you'll have, huh? Guess it'll be boring for the other villages once they all graduate and be released on the world."

 **(O** **.** **O) Exam Room - Room 823 (O** **.** **O)**

Naruto felt awkward as the doctor finished with the check-up and wrote down notes on his height, weight, and stature. In it, it said that he was short for his age, at only forty-six inches, and underweight mostly due to malnourishment at twenty-six pounds. He was otherwise healthy with no defects or illnesses.

"Okay, Naruto, now it's time for the fun part." The man smiled while walking to his desk before pulling out a weird object. "This is a prototype Image Inducer. It can cast such a strong illusion that, say, for instance, it was used on a lizard to look like a rabbit, it would feel like it has fur and not scales. By default, it works on the user that is holding it but it can also be tuned to be used on a target. Watch."

As the doctor took out a frog, Naruto walked forward and watched as he pushed a few buttons on the device before pointing the antenna at the animal. His eyes widened when the frog slowly phased away and became a brown-white furred rabbit. He reached out and took it in his hands, surprised too feel the soft fur and back feet clawing on him to get away. He pulled it in close and stared in awe. "Awesome. I wish I could use it."

The doctor just grinned and held out the device. "Danzo said that it was for you to use. Here. We have two others that we're working on, anyway, so no one will miss it too much."

"Yes!" Naruto grinned and punched the air, letting down the frog...rabbit.

* * *

 **R &R**


	4. Friends and Teachers

**Anyone want to a beta for me? Ha, I think it would be better with four eyes looking at the same thing and if I would miss anything they could catch it. Maybe even give me some ideas? Besides that, exams are over! Summer has finally begun for me! That means more time to write chapters and upload them faster. Well, hopefully. Enjoy your reading and I wish you all a great summer.**

* * *

 **Program X**

Chapter Four - Friends and Teachers

Naruto looked around as he sat on a steel bench bolted to the grey floor. He is in a large arena stadium on the Fifth floor, the other 200 participants sitting all around the ring in the middle. They seemed to have already made their own groups out of the people they already knew, ranging from over ten people together to just one alone. Faint echos filled the room as everyone talked together about what they were into.

Though, Naruto sat alone, wearing a silvery grey tank-top and black pants tucked into black boots. It was the outfit everyone wore with no sense of independence from anyone. He suspected that it was so no one was different they were all on the same level; trainees and recruits. Of course that didn't mean he wouldn't paint his clothes to have their own personality apart from everyone else.

"Hey, can we sit here?"

Naruto turned to look at who spoke to him since he didn't recognise the voice. He turned and was surprised to see a young boy around his age with black hair and light grey eyes, almost looking like a storm, with others that he did recognise. Choji Akimichi, Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, and Rock Lee stood behind the boy. He smiled at them and nodded. "Of course. There's room, isn't there? It's not like I own it."

Naruto watched as everyone sat down around him; Choji and Shikamaru sat to his right, and the boy and Lee sat to his left. Sakura was at the far end, for once being quiet. He just shrugged that off and held a hand to the new boy. "My name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Ryota Shizuka." The boy shook the hand extended to him with a small smile.

Naruto smiled and turned back to the stage. He now saw Danzo on the stage with a white-haired man, however the man looked different. His glowing blue eye and metallic arm was nothing that he noticed from before, or the amount of muscles he actually had. However, the other man looked familiar to Naruto for some reason that his mind couldn't grasp. He was sure he at least saw a picture of him somewhere-

But before he could wonder any further about Danzo's companion, he watched as Ryota and Choji were pushed down against their will. He found the reason in the form of Neji and Sasuke, who took their seats on his left and right, respectfully, before giving a nod of salutation. He lightly chuckled at the bewildered look Neji got from Ryota before turning his attention to the stage.

"Quiet, everyone." Danzo spoke into a microphone, his voice going into the speakers hung high on the walls around the assembly. Once it was quiet he continued. "I have a few things to go over before you turn in for the night. We'll go over rules, room arrangements, and more. First, there are strict rules that every one of you must follow. One, you must all follow everything that the staff tell you to do. If you have a problem or concern you come to me, Dr. Inoue or someone on the First Floor. Failure or disobedience will result in a harsh punishment. Second, curfew is at nine but lights are out at nine-thirty. Everyone will then be awake at six in the morning or what I say otherwise. If you are seen out after this time then you will be stript of sleeping privileges and will, instead, be given more classes. Third, you must all have a staff member with you at all times if you go somewhere out of your class. If you don't have a class, you are on your Floor's break room until your next class and anyone seen out of it will be punished accordingly."

"For your living conditions, you all are bunked with two other people who will become your family. Everyone around you are your family. You will rely on them and trust them just as much as they will depend on you. But your team will be your family within the family. Your closest allies to depend on at all times. You will eat together, sleep together, train together. If one gets punished, everyone gets punished. You will face your challenges together and you will overcome them with everyone or not at all. When you are done, three of you will be called at a time and you will follow your superior officer to your quarters."

Danzo looked around the assembly, taking in the eager, scared, and nervous emotions. "Now, your schedule. You all will follow this every day from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. It will change once a month and it will be pinned to your team's bulletin board like every other important notice. Your day will be about unbiased History, so forget everything you've been told to this point because I will not take well to kids whining about something their family did or Konoha did and don't like it, and strategy. You will then be trained in all muscles to enhance your strength, endurance, and speed."

Danzo motioned to the group of seven behind him. "These will be your teachers. Your conditioning teachers will be Saburo Kato and Shisui Uchiha. For history, Rin Takeda. Survival will be taught by Tsume Inuzuka, and combat by Nagamasa Asai and Hizashi Hyuuga."

Turning back to the front of the stadium, his body posture relaxed and toned for someone in their late twenties rather than late sixties. "All of you have been evaluated on your height, weight, and personality and with that we have created over fifty teams of three. I want everyone to come down here once your name is called, and you will leave through the door with your team to your squad commanders."

A screen appeared over the stadium, coming to life to reveal three faces…

"Choji Akimichi, Sakura Haruno, and Moriko Fujimoto." Danzo called as he stared at a datapad. "You will be Tiger Squad. You may go through the door to your commanding officer."

Naruto flashed a grin to the three and watched them leave.

"Sasuke Uchiha, Sai Shimura, and Hinata Hyuuga. You will be Monkey Squad." Naruto watched as three more of his group left. "Shikamaru Nara, Yu Cheung, and Hoshi Koizumi. You will be Panda Squad." Naruto stifled a laugh at their squad name. And Shikamaru was with two girls. "Rock Lee, Fu Kita, and Nico Minoru. You will be Mantis Squad."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he seemed to realize something. All the teams so far had one boy and two girls in it. Yet, there weren't a lot of girls here. Did that mean that the few girls here were like the boys, or were the boys too much like the girls? That made him chuckle at the thought of Sasuke being effeminate.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyuuga, and Ryota Shizuka. You're Dragon Squad." Naruto smirked at this, already thinking about rubbing it in Sasuke's face. He stood up with the last two of his group and led them through the door, ignoring the glares he was getting from the other orphans and prestigious family members. He knew it will be rough with the others, even if it resorted to fighting, until they were all taught to be brothers. _That'll take a long time._

Naruto looked at the room he entered with Neji and Ryota and was surprised to see the masked face of Kano, if he remembered correctly, and Itachi. The man with metal glanced at them and smiled, his eyes resting on Naruto before turning to Kano. "Take care of him." He then turned to his team, motioning with his hand. "Neji, Ryota, with me. Naruto, stay with your teacher."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Teacher?"

Before he could say anything else, he was guided away by the man and down a different hall. They walked in silence, Naruto's head swimming as he simply walked in the direction he was pushed to. Finally, he halted, Kano's arm pulling him back, and he faced the door he was tuned to. Kano pushed a button sequence on the keypad before it slid open, revealing a room that he guessed was the older man's.

When he walked inside, he was able to see what it looked like. Nothing was on the walls. Two dressers are in the corner adjacent to the bed, made of a light brown color, and a punching bag on the opposite corner of the wall. A gun leaned against the small table next to the bed, and a chair and desk was next to the door.

Without a chance to inspect everything further, he was led to the chair and pushed into it. Naruto turned and watched as the man walked to his bed, and was too distracted to register the man speaking. "My name is Kano, just Kano. You may call me my other name, Deadshot, but nothing else. I will be your teacher from here on out. I will teach you hand-to-hand combat, assassination, and the use of guns for the next five to six years before you have your graduation test. Since you are the only one sure to survive everything we do, I am guaranteed to not be wasting my time on you. Nod your head if you understand."

Naruto raised his hand, getting a questioning gaze. "Why are you teaching me, of all people? There were at least one hundred others out there and yet I am chosen. What's so special about me?"

"It's not what's special about you. You have a demon in you, something native to your land. It's kept you alive, something I was curious about but I won't pry." Deadshot started, adding the last when Naruto started squirming at the mention of his condition. "You have more promise than any of these students, and your determination is what will get you through this. That is why I chose you out of everyone else."

Naruto nodded slowly, mindlessly scratching at his right arm. "When do we begin, Kano-sensei?"

"Tomorrow morning we will begin an hour before classes where you and I will spend twenty minutes running laps in the gym. You will then proceed to do sit-ups, push-ups, planks and the sorts to exercise your core muscles. You will take a shower and go to class with your team. Upon your free period you will be back in the gym on the treadmill or bike for the period. You will finish your classes and be left to have time to yourself until dinner. After you eat, I will come for you and we will go to the sparring room where you will learn different forms of martial arts."

Naruto nodded and sat in silence, his face scrunching up as he thought. He should be grateful he will be learning these skills individually, and truthfully he was, but he felt this wouldn't be great for the rest of his team. If anything it will create dissention in the group, and a sense of favouritism to him, and he wasn't sure how we would be able to handle being hated from Neji and his new friend, at least he hoped that's how it was, Ryota. If they were to be the greatest team, they would need to do everything from training and learning to eating and surviving together. It created the best sense of brotherhood in teams, not something that can be taught to anyone.

"Kano-sensei?" Naruto asked, getting a look from the man. "What about my team? Wouldn't they get jealous? I mean, I know Neji-chan has been trained by her father, but if I was being personally trained by you, someone with a name that carries a lot of weight, wouldn't they get jealous? It would then cause dissention and impossible teamwork. I don't want that to happen."

Deadshot stayed quiet for a second, staring at Naruto with a steady gaze, before shaking his head. "No. Neji is personally being taught by her father, and Ryota is being taught by Itachi. Your team specifically is made specifically of ones who are known to make it to the end. You for the demon you hold, Neji since she's already gone through the process, and Ryota before of his unique anatomy."

"Unique how?"

"Unique as in he has a certain brain condition where his brain is weirdly divided into three parts, where our brain has but a left and right. I can't tell you too much, simply because of doctor-patient agreements and everything. I guarantee to you that they won't be alienated. But you will get the better training, not to offend Hizashi and Itachi."

Naruto nodded, relieved but also a little curious as to what Ryota's brain was like. Three parts? As in three brains or just three specific areas of function? This is confusing. "Okay, Kano-sensei, but I must get back to my team. This should be our bonding time, and other things. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Naruto."

 **(O** **.** **O) Fifteen Minutes Later - Conference Room (O** **.** **O)**

Eight individuals were gathered in the room, all more important to the function of Program X. Jiraiya and Danzo sat opposite of each other at the ends. From Danzo's right sat Inoue, Kano and Itachi while to his left were Shisui, Tsume and Hizashi. Each of them stared at copies of the summary of the evaluation of all of the participants. On the wall behind Shisui, Tsume and Hizashi were six televisions, each presenting a new person.

The top three consisted of Mifune, the ruler of Iron Country, the Fire Daimyo and the Wind Daimyo. The bottom row had the Water Daimyo, Lightning Daimyo and the Earth Daimyo. All watched silently, present to hear from the group that has done the work of ensuring the safety of each nation after the Third Shinobi World War. While Root acted as an independent, they were an agreement on from the five major Daimyo as an incentive to avoid war. Root will hunt down the shinobi or rogues that threatened the safety of one of the Lands, and return will be paid for it. It is surprising how many ninja leave their village daily. Of course, many aren't as dangerous as some and have been given the chance to work for something more than village rivalry.

"Okay, we'll start with Dragon Squad." Inoue started, gaining everyone's attention. "I'm sure that's the only group the Daimyo's want to hear."

"Of course." Each spoke their agreement.

"First, we'll talk about Neji Hyuga, female, born July 3 of 2126, nine years old. Born of Hizashi Hyuga and Yumiko Hyuuga in the Branch Family. She has already exhibited skills from Serum-X, most of it magic-based. Beside her control over all elements, and shadows, she has early control of telekinesis, telepathy, force fields, flight, and energy manipulation unlike chakra. She is great with her clan's taijutsu despite not using chakra."

"How come Neji is still with all the other participants?" Asked the Earth Daimyo. "She clearly shows more skill and power than the others. She's even unlocked her abilities."

"Well, Neji is still growing, and we wouldn't want her to be alienated from others her age. She still has a lot more to learn and isn't even in puberty yet." Tsume laughed at Hizashi's face when they mentioned puberty, every father's bane of existence when raising a daughter. That, and the boys that they have to scare away. "Plus, she likes Naruto."

"The Uzumaki?"Mifune asked this time, his usually quiet presence shocking everyone. "I thought they all died in the Third Shinobi War."

"They were, by treaty between our villages." The Water Daimyo spoke, motioning to the Earth and Lightning Daimyo. "Our villages feared the Uzumaki entering the war on Konoha's side and made a preemptive strike, killing everyone in the village. That little endeavor cost all of us an ally and the genocide of one clan."

"Konoha also had a hand in it." The Fire Daimyo grunted, grimacing at a memory. "I got a report on the war, and some documents mentioned how Hiruzen ignored intelligence, yours Jiraiya, I believe, that mentioned the destruction of Uzushiogakure. To think that the Uzumaki were betrayed by their own kin village."

"I heard some escaped, though." The Wind Daimyo mentioned, "Scattered throughout the Nations. I wouldn't be surprised if one turns up now and then, or if Orochimaru is keeping them for experiments. Uzumaki are known for not dying easily."

"Before we get to him," Inoue interrupted, "We should go over the other teammate, Ryota Shizuka. Male, born August 14 of 2127, seven years old. He is born of Takara Shizuka and an unnamed father, with a younger sister going as heiress. He has excellent agility and superb strength for his age, also above-average reflexes. His mind is keener than most his age, and seems more receptive to a leading female, but that isn't a shock coming from a matriarch family. We can expect an Oedipus Complex of sorts."

Jiraiya chuckled at that and simply shook his head. "And finally, our little blonde."

"Naruto Uzumaki; male, born October 13 of 2127, seven years old. He is the current holder of the Nine-Tails and has shown an acceptance of his status. Despite the incident a week ago, he is still happy and positive to everyone around him. We have given him the prototype Image Inducer so he wouldn't be seen by his peers. His Uzumaki spirit that was in his mother is as much alive in him, and the healing ability that we believe came from Kyuubi has proven as much of a curse as a gift."

"Why do you say that?" Asked Mifune.

"Naruto has been attacked and starved countless more times before this. However, because of the healing ability, he only experiences intense pain when starved or dehydrated. When we were able to look into his mind, we found seven other attacks that left scars on his body, only to be healed the next night. This has allowed himself to be tortured for hours before passing out from so much pain, and even then his recessors are as much alive."

The Daimyo were horrified by the act taken on a child. The life of a Jinchuriki was naturally painful and alone, but for the village to not take any action to try and protect the child angered them so. One thing the Daimyo shared in common were the protection and love of children. The Fire Daimyo was already thinking of cutting back on the funding he gives the village as well as missions.

"However, he still stays positive." Inoue continued, her voice soft. "We believe that if not for Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga he would have gone insane. He might have even unleashed the Kyuubi on the village in spite of those that hurt him. He fears nothing like a usual kid, but instead only fears the loneliness he has felt in the world. He cares not if he's annoying or childish, as long as someone gives him attention he will be happy."

It was eerily quiet as Inoue finished speaking. After a minute, Danzo coughed in his hand. "Let's move on to the others."

* * *

 **R &R**


End file.
